Help 'Steven's Hope for Mozambique' build a school

Steven's Hope for Mozambique is a non-profit society established for the purpose of assisting with the development, construction, and support of schools in Mozambique. Our work is motivated by the level of need in these areas of Mozambique and by stories like that of Steven. 

Here is Steven's Story:
“One of our success stories has a very sad ending,” Parker said. “We had one student, Steve, who I met in 2005 on my first trip to Mozambique. Steve was not only a student in what became our sponsored school but was also a peddler of trinkets on the beach. Despite many hardships, Steve successfully completed high school in the evenings and was enrolled in a teacher education program at a local university. We were sponsoring his program and he was doing very well. Unfortunately, Steve passed away suddenly from hepatitis. It is the resolve of students like Steve that drives us to do even more to support thousands of students who otherwise would never have access to a proper education.”


For 15 years, Steven’s Hope (Rotary Club of Edmonton Gateway), supported by several Rotary Clubs in Rotary International District 5370, the Province of Alberta Community Initiatives Program, and in-country (Mozambique) partners, have been building schools in Mozambique. Although the country shows signs of tremendous potential, the social and economic problems that plague Mozambique are serious. More than half the country's population of 23.5 million people live in poverty. Food scarcity and access to health care are among Mozambique's most urgent problems, but the availability of education is also a major issue. Without adequate education, children in Mozambique have little chance of overcoming and breaking the cycle of generational poverty. It is within this context that we are respectfully asking for your support.


Our involvement in school construction projects in Mozambique started in 2005 when Dr. Parker, who was assisting a non-Rotary humanitarian project in the Xai Xai region, was invited to participate in a tour of a school site in the small village of Macambucuine, located in Gaza Province, Mozambique. On that day, approximately 375 students were receiving their education under trees, in the open, and in a few small reed-built huts, offering no protection from the hot sun or frequent torrential downpours. When the message of their plight was communicated to the Gateway Rotary Club, the Club members immediately committed to assisting. Fast forward to 2020, in the village of Macambucuine, over 1,700 students are receiving their education in properly constructed cinder-block classrooms, have access to a library, modem washroom facilities and a community centre.  The site is protected by a security wall, ensuring all assets provided are kept safe and children free from harm. 

School construction didn't stop with the village of Macambucuine. In addition to building the school complex in that village, Steven’s Hope and its supporters have built a 500-student school in the small village of Pussa (Gaza Province), replacing a previous school that was destroyed by a cyclone. In 2019, with the assistance of the Maputo Rotary Club and volunteers from the Canadian High Commission in Maputo, Steven’s Hope has commenced construction of a 3,000-student school in the village of Muchisso, located close to the capital city of Maputo, in the Province of Maputo. At the Muchisso School site, over 2,800 students are currently receiving their programming largely in outdoor classrooms, with no protection from the hot sun or the rains that occur during the winter months. 


 In 2019, two much-needed facilities were added to the site: a classroom block consisting of four classrooms was constructed with funds from Steven's Hope and a washroom facility, funded by the Mozambique Ministry of Education, was built. In Phase II, a security wall will be completed around the campus to protect the school's assets. The final construction phase will include additional classrooms and a second washroom block.  Additional supports such as a computer room, library, and community centre will be constructed once this phase is complete. The estimate to fully construct the Muchisso School campus is $360,000.00 Cdn. Unfortunately, with the Covid restrictions, our normal fundraising activities have been completely stopped, yet the need continues, now more serious than ever.

Now is the time that these students, families, and communities need our support most. With the impact of COVID-19, both on the nation of Mozambique, and our ability to fundraise, the need for assistance is great. The impact the schools have on the people of Mozambique is immeasurable and is critical to their ability to come out of the pandemic and to meet their future needs for students and families. This is why we ask for you to donate what you can to support this project.